LG LTCS24223S Refrigerator Review

The refrigerator compartment boasts relatively consistent temperatures over time and throughout the cavity, but the freezer struggles with consistency—our main complaint with this refrigerator. All in all, performances were somewhat average for a top freezer, which would be easier to swallow if not for the high MSRP. For such a steep price, we’d like a little more bang for our buck. That said, you should be able to find this fridge on sale for around $1,000.

Design & Usability

Familiar design

{{amazon name="LG LTCS24223S 24 Cu. Ft. Traditional Style Refrigerator in Stainless Steel", asin="B00O9PRSNO", align="right"}} As far as top freezer refrigerators go, this LG is pretty standard in design. Stainless steel gives the front a nice sheen and has a grain that manages to disguise minor smudging. Both the fridge and freezer compartments can be tugged open with a hidden pocket handle—which should make it easy to reverse the doors if you'd like to do so. If you’d prefer a black or white finish to the stainless steel, both can be had for an MSRP of $1,099.99.

Bright LEDs illuminate the main compartment, which is made up of an ordinary combination of clear shelves and white plastic trim. Flexibility isn’t fantastic, but you can move some of the shelves around. Controls are simple to use and have a solid number of temperature adjustments, but are set deep enough inside the fridge that they could easily be blocked by food on the shelf below.

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Among the refrigerator storage options, there are two humidity-adjustable crisper drawers and a full-width pantry drawer. The freezer houses an ice maker on the left side of its top shelf, along with a plastic ice tray.

Performance & Features

Extremely energy efficient

The area where this refrigerator really shines is energy efficiency. From power use to running cost, the LTCS24223S kept the numbers low—which means we can count it among the most energy-efficient fridges we’ve tested.

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Temperatures in the LTCS24223S’s main refrigerator compartment were cold enough to keep your food from spoiling, consistent over time, and didn’t vary wildly throughout the cavity. Temperature fluctuations can have a negative impact on the longevity of your groceries, so consistency is definitely a good thing. We’d consider this an average performance, or even a little above average—temperatures weren't perfect, but they were more than good enough.

The freezer, however, didn’t display this same consistency. Temperatures dipped and rose over time, and the top of the freezer proved significantly colder than the bottom. This greatly increases the likelihood of freezer burn. For this reason, this LG may not be right for those who like to buy in bulk. However, it froze room-temperature foods reasonably quickly.

Humidity-adjustable crisper drawers weren’t very good at holding onto moisture over time, which is bad news for any produce you'd like to prevent from drying out, but we’ve seen worse.

For in-depth performance information, please visit the Science Page.

Warranty

For one year after the date of purchase, LG will cover parts and labor for any defects that reveal themselves under normal home use of this refrigerator. For seven years after the date of purchase, LG will provide parts for defects in the sealed system (compresser, condenser, and evaporator), but customers will be charged for labor.

Conclusion

LG bills the LTCS24223S as sporting “traditional style.” Indeed, there’s a lot about this fridge that feels familiar. Despite its unremarkable design and fairly average temperature regulation, this LG has two major standouts: excellent energy efficiency and a large interior.

Both of these are good things, if your kitchen has enough space for a more substantial top freezer, but be sure to look for the LTCS24223S on sale or you may not find it a great value. If you don't mind losing some storage space, smaller top freezers like the Kenmore 70623 or the Frigidaire Gallery FGTR1845QF have higher performance scores—and have MSRPs that fall in the same price bracket.

The Cold Hard Facts

The LG LTCS24223S got the full rundown of tests in our lab. Energy efficiency was excellent, while temperature regulation was solidly average. However, this large top freezer’s performance level wasn’t high enough to match its MSRP, although you may be able to find it on sale for a more reasonable $1,000.

Temperature Performance

We measured temperatures in the main fresh food compartment over time, and found them to be firmly good enough. An average temperature of 38.42°F means your food will stay at safe temperatures. Even the typically-warmer crisper drawers didn’t surpass an average temp of 40.17°F, which is just fine for your produce.

Temperatures were fairly consistent over time, only fluctuating by an average of ±0.38°F.

The freezer, however, is this LG’s weak spot. Temperatures ranged from -3.52°F to 7.85°F, fluctuating over time by an average of 4.13°F. That’s inconsistent, to say the least. Temperatures also varied significantly between the top and bottom of the freezer; the top shelf averaged -0.67°F, while the bottom averaged 4.87°F. We wouldn’t recommend freezing anything here long-term, as the quality of the food will suffer as a result of the temperature deviations—plus, storing food above 0°F can lead to freezer burn.

Moisture Retention

In our humidity test, we placed our test materials in a crisper drawer and tracked how much moisture they lost over time. Unfortunately, they lost 0.2 grams per hour—not ideal, to say the least. The best fridges lose less than 0.14 grams per hour. Be sure to keep an eye on your produce to make sure you eat it before it starts to turn!

Freezing

Despite the freezer’s shortcomings, it was able to chill our test materials from room temperature to a frosty 32°F in a respectable hour and 31 minutes. We’ve seen better, but we’ve also seen worse.

Storage Space & Energy Efficiency

Apart from the full-length pantry set in the middle of the fridge, storage space is fairly standard. Rest your food on top of two height-adjustable shelves, including one that’s set atop that pantry drawer. It’s worth noting that the pantry drawer can only fit very short or squat items—which may be fine, if that’s what you’d like to use it for.

There’s more shelf space atop of the two crisper drawers set at the bottom of the main fresh food compartment. The drawer houses three shelves—one of them a bit on the shallow side—and a dairy bin. The fridge compartment is very ordinary, to be sure, but it does also offer quite a bit of space in which to place your food.

Up top, the freezer has one height-adjustable shelf, as well as a shelf set on the bottom of the compartment. The ice maker takes up quite a bit of room on the top shelf if you decide to use it, but the freezer still feels roomy.

Energy efficiency is the LTCS24223S’s greatest strength. Just 0.04 kWh will cool each usable foot, which puts this LG’s running cost at a low $28.78 per year. That’s among the cheapest we’ve seen!